I compiled this
table to make it easier people to compare and contrast the higher-end EOS film cameras. However, I now have the Complete EOS Lookup
Page which contains all this information and more and renders this page pretty well obsolete.
Im going to leave this page here, but I do recommend checking out the database
if for no other reason than it contains data on all the latest products. I also recommend
my online dictionary if youre
unfamiliar with any of the terms or acronyms used.

The 1N HS
was a 1N with the Power Drive Booster E1 attached to it. The 1N DP
was a 1N with the Battery Pack BP-E1 attached.

The 1N RS
was significantly different, however. It was a 1N with a pellicle (fixed)
mirror system, enabling it to shoot at 10 fps at all times. The camera also
has no mirror blackout period since its mirror doesnt flip up. However
the fixed mirror reduces the amount of light reaching the film and the viewfinder
is also dimmer.

The EOS 1V is
also available as the EOS 1V HS, which is a 1V with the Power Booster
E2 added on. Since its such a fast camera already Canon elected not
to build a pellicle mirror version.

Summary:

All four cameras
are large, noisy, heavy and expensive devices. And for all that you get excellent
ergonomic handling, top-notch performance (in terms of film transport, AF
speed and metering), a wide range of features and tremendously rugged cases.
In its continual effort to one-up Nikon, Canon have expended a lot of energy
developing a strong range of cameras relied upon by demanding professional
photographers.

Users of low
to midrange EOS cameras will find these cameras rather different from what
theyre used to. None of them have built-in flash units, icon (PIC) modes
or AF assist lights. The user interface is button based - these cameras do
not have rotating top-deck mode dials for switching metering modes. (though
they all have main dials located next to the shutter release) They also have
more swappable options, such as interchangeable backs and viewfinder screens.

EOS 1:

The first serious
professional camera in Canons EOS lineup, the EOS 1 was the first model
to demonstrate the tremendous potential of the EOS line. Sturdy and rugged,
the 1 is somewhat lacking in features by todays standards. It only has
one autofocus point, it lacks FEC controls, doesnt support E-TTL and
so on. However EOS 1 bodies can be readily found on the used market at quite
low prices and still remain tough and reliable workhorses.

EOS 1N:

A huge step
forward, and the camera that convinced a lot of professionals to switch to
Canon from Nikon. The 1N is a significantly upgraded EOS 1 that still holds
its own. The lack of E-TTL support is probably its major weakness from todays
point of view.

EOS 3:

The EOS 3 is
an interesting camera. In theory it was a replacement for the A2/5 in Canons
lineup as a semi-professional model but in reality its a giant step
in functionality past the earlier model. In most respects its superior
to the 1N, and packs a lot of technology. Its main drawbacks are its 97% viewfinder
and 1/200 sec flash sync. It also has a famously noisy shutter and mirror
mechanism.

EOS 1V:

Probably the
most technologically sophisticated film camera ever built, though aficionados
of Nikons F5 would obviously disagree. Theres really not much
it cant do, as modern film cameras go - the omission of ECF is about
the only major point. That doesnt mean that there isnt room for
improvement, but how much Canon spend on upgrading their film-based camera
line in the future, now that digital is huge, is still to be seen.

Notes:

1:
Weatherproofing:
The EOS 1V and its digital siblings, the 1D and 1Ds, are equipped with gaskets
at every conceivable opening. Lens mounts also have ring-shaped gaskets which
match Canons line of weatherproofed L series lenses. You cant
safely go swimming with this gear, but the seals do keep out a lot of rain
and dust.

2:
Limit of AF sensors: The f/8 limit makes the EOS 3 and 1V considerably more useful with long
telephoto lenses and teleconverters than the EOS 1 and 1N. Long telephotos
with TCs (slower than f/5.6) wouldnt autofocus with the older models.
The sensor limit of the cross sensors is the f-stop at which the high-precision
autofocus sensors switch from cross sensor mode to linear sensor mode. (ie:
the cross sensors in these cameras require fast lenses to work in high-precision
mode)

The 3 and 1V
have 45 autofocus sensors, all of which can detect horizontal and diagonal
lines at normal precision when used with a lens of f/8 or faster. However
they also have 7 cross sensors capable of high-precision focussing. Of this
group of 7, the central sensor retains high precision down to f/4 or faster
and the remaining 6 cross sensors require f/2.8 or faster for high precision.

The 1Ns
single cross sensor required f/2.8 or faster lenses for high precision and
reverts to normal precision linear sensing with slower lenses. The cameras
remaining four linear sensors require f/5.6 or faster.

The EOS 1s
single sensor was a cross sensor which provided high precision with f/2.8
or faster lenses and normal precision linear sensing with f/5.6 or faster
lenses.

3:
Dioptric correction:Canon werent able to cram both 45 ECF-controlled focus points and
dioptric correction into the EOS 3 and so left the latter out. If you want
dioptric correction you must clip an add-on lens to the viewfinder. As for
the EOS 1, there appears to be a conflict between the dioptric compensation
levels listed in the manual (-3 to +1 dioptres) and on the Canon Camera Museum
Web site (-2 to +2 dioptres). I understand the former is correct and that
the Camera Museum site is in error.

4:
Active mirror control:
The EOS 1V has an electromechanical system which actively reduces mirror bounce.
This system also shortens the mirror blackout time.

5:
FP flash:
Its possible to have limited FP mode flash support added to the EOS
1N by means of an extremely expensive reprogramming of the firmware by Canon.

6:
EOS 1 flash controls:The
EOS 1 lacks on-board controls for flash exposure compensation and second-curtain
sync. So if you want either of these two features you need to use an external
flash unit (eg: the 430EZ, 540EZ) which have pushbutton controls for them.

8:
EOS Link:The
EOS 1V supports EOS Link, which is a Macintosh and Windows software package
and USB cable combination that allows shooting data to be trasnferred from
the camera to a personal computer. Shooting data includes information such
as focal length, aperture, shutter speed, etc. EOS Link also lets the computer
alter the cameras personal functions. The 1V records film roll number
information to the film leader (frame zero) so that individual rolls can be
linked to recorded data.

9:
Remote release connector type:Earlier EOS cameras use Canons proprietary T3 connector, which is
an awkward and inconvenient plug design for wired remote shutter releases.
While Canon standardized on simple non-locking three-pin 2.5mm submini stereo
jacks for wired remote connectors they came up with the N3 connector for their
higher-end cameras. These are again proprietary connectors and thus not available
cheaply at electronics stores, but at least are less fiddly and annoying to
use.

10:
EOS cameras and high-speed infrared:The question of whether these cameras work properly with infrared film
is a complex one. Ive written a whole other
article on the subject.

The EOS 1 and
1N have mechanical film counters and so dont fog infrared film. The
EOS 3 has an IR counter and can fog the edge of high speed IR film. The EOS
1V uses an infrared counter, but Canon designed it in such a fashion that
fogging of IR film does not occur.

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